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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24289567">the grass always seems greener on the other side</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/daemonium'>daemonium (orphan_account)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kpop - Fandom, NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Insecure Na Jaemin, Jisung is a baby, Markhyuck Summer Fight of 2017 (NCT), Mentioned Huang Ren Jun, Na Jaemin is Whipped, Nomin if you squint, Not Beta Read, Overthinking, i don't know how to tag, kpop, lee jeno - Freeform, markhyuck if you squint, na jaemin - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:53:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>649</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24289567</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/daemonium</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How Lee Jeno perceives (and envies) Na Jaemin and his analytical temperament. An insight into how people with non analytical abilities perceive over thinkers.</p><p> </p><p>alternatively titled; Na Jaemin Needs a Hug.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the grass always seems greener on the other side</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>a large part of this is me just self projecting my insecurities onto Jaemin. expect inaccuracies. this has not been beta read.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lee Jeno was not an overthinker. Never had been — and if things were to remain as they were — never would be. He could never empathize with people who were prone to overthinking - a shortcoming of his that frustrated him to no end. Despite his inability to empathize, he admired people with analytical temperaments all right.</p><p>Jeno never thought overthinking to be a negative trait - it always seemed like a blessing from his perspective. Being able to consider a situation from various points enabled these analysts with an entirely different skillset that an idol would kill to have at their disposal. Imagine having the ability to predict how your actions will be perceived - imagine! Oh, how he mourned his lack of analytical skills.</p><p> </p><p>Which was why he envied certified overthinker, Na Jaemin.</p><p>But if Na Jaemin ever found out what Jeno, his best friend of over a decade, thought of his painfully transparent habit of over analysing, he would surely treat his friend to a silent treatment that would make the infamous MarkHyuck summer fight look pale in comparison. Which is why Jeno never bothered to articulate his thoughts for the person he usually considered his confidant.</p><p>
  <em>(However, Jeno was wrong to think he'd receive a silent treatment for too long because Jaemin's mind would convince him no communication would cause a strain in their relationship.)</em>
</p><p>Now, as is the case for most habits and quirks, there was an underlying cause to Jaemin's tendency to overthink. Upon their debut, they were all assigned personas to fascinate the public and to portray a dynamic that would attract more fans. Their personas were really just exaggerated versions of their actual personalities, but it was still not incredibly easy to laugh and be happy all the time, especially when you are <em>still</em> going through puberty.</p><p>It got easier pretending as time progressed, their persona assimilated into their personalities. Their youngest member was turning legal in less than a year, and their album did very well. You'd expect them to be happy, right? Wrong, Jaemin was very unhappy.</p><p>To this day, Jaemin felt like never really fit into the dynamic - all due to the hiatus he had to take. Sure, you could classify him as the "mom" friend, but he felt that Renjun and Jeno could <em>easily</em> substitute for him. Mark would be branded as the main rapper and Jaemin had never been a phenomenal dancer. His entropic status in their group sent his analytic skills into overdrive, and the matter of his happiness was put on the back burner. He merely had to figure out how he played into their group dynamic, and <em>everything</em> would be okay-</p><p>"Back to practice, everyone!" Was his pathetic ten-minute break over already? Time sure does pass fast when contemplating the nuances of life.</p><hr/><p>Afterwards, when he had finished three hours of practice with breaks few and far between, he collapsed on his bunk bed that he shared with Jisung, who had abandoned the room, disregarding his fatigue in favour of playing video games. Kids and their overly effective stamina, Jaemin scoffed.</p><p>Jaemin was reviewing (read: overthinking) the days' events (like he always did) before he slept. For a reason unfathomable, Jeno's contemplative stare ended up at the forefront of his mind.</p><p>The one (and only, in Jaemin's opinion) advantage of possessing overly effective analytical skills were the enhanced perceptive abilities. Of course, Jaemin didn't miss the <em>slightest</em> twinge of envy on Jeno's face every time Jaemin corrected scripts and proposed ideas to their PR team (fans always appreciated philanthropists).</p><p>After all, Jeno had never been too good at concealing his emotions, and Jaemin could always read him like a book.</p><p>Jaemin turned over, blocking the faint noises echoing through the dormitory using his pillow and, for the first time in a while, fell asleep before midnight.</p><p>
  <b> <em>He supposed the grass always seemed greener on the other side.</em> </b>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a work of fiction and any similarity to reality is a dreadful accident. Don't sue me because I am broke. Also, don't steal or reproduce this because that makes you a piece of shit. I might write a negative article concerning your unoriginal ass where I drag you like hell and you don't want that.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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